Cold Region (CR) environments experience unique environmental stressors such as loss of permafrost and ice sheets from climate change, sea-level rise, intense ice and snowstorms, high winds, and rising/falling lake levels. These unique conditions often complicate the development of lasting EWN® solutions that improve Cold Region resilience. This project aims to identify and develop new and non-traditional EWN strategies that integrate novel natural infrastructure and nature-based techniques and practices specific to Cold Region environments. This project also seeks to better understand the current conditions and future-anticipated changes in Cold Regions in order to obtain greater insight into what EWN strategies might reduce risk and increase the resilience of communities located in Cold Regions such as Alaska, Canada, New England, and the Great Lakes.
Publications
Cohn N, Bosche LV, Midgley T, Small C, Douglas TA, and King J. (2022). Assessing drivers of coastal tundra retreat at Point Hope, Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 127, e2022JF006813. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JF006813.
EWN Cold Region Project Sites
St. Croix Island, ME
Preserving History: Engineering With Nature® and the National Park Service
The EWN Podcast
Story Maps
Engagements
Coastal Canada Nature-Based Infrastructure Workshop
26-30 June 2022. The 5-day event featured field visits, a two-day symposium for development of Canada-specific natural infrastructure guidelines and a workshop to engage critical discourse around the feasibility of nature-based adaptation to climate change by defining successful cases, developing frameworks, and mobilizing collective lessons learned.
An EWN Partner Spotlight: Building Cross-Border Collaborations to Support Nature-Based Solutions in Cold Regions
Hear more about colleague Paula Whitfield’s experience exploring nature-based solutions in Canada.